Washington, D.C.’s annual vegetarian festival, DC VegFest, occupied Yards Park on Saturday Oct. 3. Adjacent to Nationals Park, this event was easily accessible by metro and was well attended by residents and visitors to the city.

Over 130 vendors participated, some selling vegetarian or vegan food, others selling merchandise like shirts with kitschy little vegan sayings, and even advocates for causes like PETA were tabling. Some dishes featured were vegan Stromboli (made with almond mozzarella) and vegan ice cream sandwiches, which were both widely enjoyed. There was no lack of variety when it came to food with tables having everything from vegetarian Indian cuisine to vegan chocolate chip cookies. Lots of local veggie orientated food trucks were in attendance along with a very popular DC vegan bakery Sticky Fingers, which never failed to have a winding line.

Live Music played and guest speakers including NFL star David Carter spoke on how being a vegan changed his life. One would assume a professional football player would eat a lot of meat for protein to stay energized and bulk up but Carter said how much more energized and able he feels from not eating meat. Veganism improved his mind, body, and soul. Carter thinks veganism is the most efficient and most humane way to stay body strong

The day was rainy and cold, especially by the waterfront there at National Park, but that didn’t deter the crowds. They were expected to have a total of about 15,000 attendees. The first 1,000 people would receive a free tote filled with coupons and samples. The event started at 11 and an event coordinator said people were lining up at 8am for the free tote. DC had a great showing for the vegan and vegetarian community at this years VegFest. Freshman Hayley Punjabi was one of the many GW students who attended the event. “It’s kind of a rainy day but despite that the food is good, the people are great…so it’s awesome,” he said.

Those in attendance left the site with plenty of new recipes and an excitement for vegan options.